Aesthetic Interiors

This past week my husband and I got to take a little time off from work to spend a few days up in New England, visiting my in-laws and attending my sister’s baby shower. We also managed to sneak up to Maine for just a bit, which meant that I got to see the progress on my parents’ summer home there! A few months ago, I shared in this post that I have been helping them to decorate the house, beginning with the dining room, and today I am excited to share a brief update on that space!

I am thrilled with how the room is starting to come together! They did choose to purchase the dining table that I had helped them pick out from Ballard Designs, and it looks gorgeous in their dining room. During their previous trip to Maine in April, they also decided to order six dining chairs from a local unfinished furniture store. We didn’t like the dining chairs from Ballard that were designed to go with the table, and by ordering them from the unfinished furniture store, they were able to have them finished with a stain that closely matched the table. There were a lot of different chair styles to choose from, but they sent me photos of all the options, and I helped them pick one out, which I think beautifully complements the style of the table. The chairs have a slightly antique look to them, which is fitting for a Victorian home, and the curves of both the back design elements as well as the front legs echo the curved pedestals of the dining table. Fortunately, the chairs were actually finished just in time for our visit, so they were delivered while we were staying there, and I got to see them for the first time in the space!

I also spent a little time antique-shopping, and I managed to find a beautiful piece, which works perfectly in a corner of their dining room. Their dining room is not huge, and since they want to be able to extend the table whenever they host large family gatherings, it’s important to not fill up the space with too many other large pieces of furniture. This piece is just the right size—it fills the space and provides additional storage/display areas without taking up too much room. I also love the carved decorative element along the top, which once again, echos the other curves in the furniture. By coincidence, It’s also uncannily similar to the the design element on a glass and metal console table that I have picked out from Ballard Designs. They are planning to put a table in the bay window area as a serving piece, but they don’t want to block the window too much, so I suggested a glass piece, since it won’t take up much visual space. It will also be nice to vary the texture in the room by adding metal and glass, since they have a lot of wood furniture. They haven’t ordered this piece yet, but I think it will coordinate beautifully with everything else!

And finally, here are some shots of the room as it looks now! A straight on view from the living room:

Another view from within the room, showing the new corner piece:

And here’s a view from the other doorway, right off the front hall:

The curtains on the window are just the sheers at the moment, but by next month, the ivory dupioni silk curtains should have arrived, and they will pool slightly onto the floor. The room still has a way to go obviously, but it’s already looking fantastic! I can’t wait for my parents to host their first family gathering up there soon. We should be making more progress on the rest of the rooms this summer, so stay tuned for future posts about their Maine residence!